China sanctions Reagan library, stations warship, aircraft near Taiwan after Tsai-McCarthy meet

China is not pleased with the meeting of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. For the second day in running, Beijing sent its warships and aircraft off the Taiwan coast to intimidate the island country and its allies.

According to Taiwan's defence ministry, three Chinese warships were found circling the island while a fighter jet and anti-submarine helicopter were seen lurking dangerously close to theisland's air defence identification zone.

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Prior to the meeting on Wednesday, China had placed a fleet of ships led by the Shandong aircraft carrier.The fleet led by the aircraft carrier passed through the Bashi Channel separating Taiwan from the Philippines and then into waters to Taiwan's southeast.

Subsequently, Washington also deployed its USS Nimitz aircraft some 400 nautical miles (740.8 km) off eastern Taiwan.The island nation's Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng confirmed the position of Nimitz while carefully avoiding claims that it was deployed due to the presence of the Shandong.

WATCH |US House Speaker McCarthy meets Taiwan's President Tsai, China vows 'resolute' response

China sanctions Reagan library

Apart from flexing military muscles as pressure tactics, Beijing is also using diplomatic routes to assert itself. According to reports, Xi Jinping's government has imposed sanctions against the Ronald Regan Presidential Library — the venue of the rare, high-level meeting between Tsai and McCarthy.

John Heubusch, former executive director of the Reagan Foundation; Joanne M. Drake, chief administrative officer of the Reagan Foundation have been also named in the sanctions list and any property or financial assets belonging to them or the library in China would be frozen.

Apart from the Reagan Library, the Hudson Institute think tank and its director and chair of the board of directors have also been put under sanctions. Tsai had accepted a leadership award from the Hudson Institute as part of her trip to the US.

ALSO READ | US, Chinese aircraft carriers flex muscles near Taiwan coast after Tsai's meeting with US House speaker

Tsai completes the historic trip

Despite the Chinese threat of action, Tsai went ahead with the meeting and even released statements, seemingly targeting Beijing.

“It is no secret that today the peace we have maintained and the democracy which (we) have worked hard to build are facing unprecedented challenges,” said Tsai in remarks alongside McCarthy.

The meeting was extremely significant as McCarthy became the senior most US figure to meet a Taiwanese leader on American soil in decades

A miffed China released a statement immediately after and said, “We will take resolute measures to punish the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and their actions, and resolutely safeguard our country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity."

(With inputs from agencies)

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